Tories tight-lipped as Wolverhampton candidate accused of glamourising guns

Sohail Khan, the Tory candidate for Tettenhall Regis in next week’s Wolverhampton council elections, has come under fire over two Facebook posts.

One he posted in 2012 shows an image of a handgun.

Another from 2000 features Mr Khan with his arm around a promotions girl and is accompanied by a lewd comment.

Labour councillor Martin Waite says the images show that Mr Khan is ‘not fit for office’, while a Tory source told the Express & Star that some senior party figures want him out.

The Conservatives West Midlands regional office and the Wolverhampton Conservatives have not responded to the E&S’ requests for a comment.

Councillor Waite, who represents Penn for Labour, said: “Wolverhampton has got some gang-related issues and it is not right for a council candidate from any party to be apparently glamorising gun crime in this way.

“The way he has represented women is absolutely shocking. Both of these social media posts give an interesting insight into his psyche.

"A place on the council is not appropriate for anyone who holds these kind of attitudes.”

A Tory source, who asked not to be named, said a number of high ranking members in the city party reacted with fury at the emergence of the images.

“There are calls to have him removed as a candidate but with the election next week it appears to be too late in the day,” the source said.

Mr Khan previously stood in St Peter’s in 2016, and came second behind Labour council leader Roger Lawrence, with 34.9 per cent of the vote.

Tettenhall Regis is considered a safe ward for the Tories, although the party almost lost a seat there in 2016 when they split their own vote by selecting two candidates.

The last time this seat was contested was in 2014 when Barry Findlay, who has retired this year, polled 44.5 per cent of the vote.